A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to the third chapter of The Fallen!
I'd like to take the time to thank Pikahopp, the first reviewer of this story! Your review really gave me the motivation to write this chapter! Thank you very much!
Enjoy the chapter!
The buzz about the battle of NYC was still going strong. The Avengers, Earth's heroes, were all anyone could talk about. Everyone knew about them. Posters of them were hung on every wall. They were all over the news. Action figures were made in their likeness. "Avengers" was on everyone's tongue as they tried to live as normal a life as they could while the city healed.
Except for one person.
She was a stranger to the city. A newcomer. An enigma. Her impossibly long, snow-white hair drew attention to her wherever she went, and her golden eyes generated whispers when she passed.
The woman had an otherwordly aura around her, one you couldn't describe, warning people away from her. She asked strange questions about people with black wings, and her voice stirred something in you, compelling you to tell her what you knew, even if it was nothing at all. She gave no name, no history, nothing. All anyone knew about her was that she was a performer in a club, but no one tried to ask her more about herself. They couldn't. They was an anger behind her dull eyes that frightened them. She was like a tiger in a cage...and everybody knows you should never poke a caged tiger.
So when she walked away, she was forgotten. People that come into her path forced her out of their minds, so they wouldn't have to think of why a woman who looked so angelic held so much fury within her.
It had been two months since Juno fell to Earth...two long months. Her first few weeks were a haze, almost like a dream...or a nightmare. She found lodging easy enough - humans did almost anything she asked of them if she used her voice right - and she was hired to perform music for a club called Archangel, so money wasn't an issue either. And binding her wings was something she had mastered years ago, so no one suspected that she wasn't human. But the city she found herself in, New York City, was recovering from a devastating battle that had taken place the day of her fall.
She didn't remember the battle. In fact, she didn't remember much of anything that happened after she landed on Earth. All she remembered was the big green creature, and the human man it shrank down to. Despite the grief that clouded her mind then, she remembered that man clearly. It was hard for her to forget - he had been naked, after all. But that wasn't what she thought of when she thought of him. She thought of his eyes first, how they looked when they locked with hers. They were sad, those brown eyes. She thought of them first because when she looked into that man's eyes, she saw a great sadness that was mirrored by her own. What awful things must have happened to that man, to have so much pain in his eyes.
Second, she thought of his hair, and how it felt to run her fingers through it. Then she remembered his handsome, but weary face. How skittish he was when he noticed her. And of course, she remembered his complete lack of clothing.
The man had told her his name. Juno remembered that, too: Bruce Banner. She didn't usually like human names, but she liked his. It suit him. She remembered asking if he was hurt. He said no, but she knew he was lying. He didn't seem hurt physically, but there was too much pain in his dark eyes for his answer to be true. And then, she remembered stumbling away from the ruined building. Away from Bruce Banner.
And that was it.
Juno had woken up the next day right outside the city. She didn't know how she got there. At the time, she didn't care. Juno spent a week afterwards wandering the streets in a daze. All she could think about was her brother. Her father. Her friends. Her home. How could she go on without them? Not even her hunger or exhaustion could snap her out of it.
But one word did.
After days of mental silence, that voice in her mind spoke again.
You poor thing. Look at you. You're nothing but an empty shell.
Juno hadn't even had the energy to tell the voice to go away.
Now would be the perfect time to wreak a little havoc, but it's no fun when you're like this.
Nothing. Juno had felt nothing.
There was a sigh. You're pathetic. The Fallen are making themselves at home in your castle, taking over your kingdom, while you wander around and mope. Juno's anger had stirred then. Atta girl. You want it, don't you? I know you do. You want it more than anything.
What...do I want…?
Revenge.
And that was all it took. That one word sparked something in Juno, a fire that she hadn't felt for a very long time. She knew in that moment what she had to do,
From then on, Juno had kept herself very busy. When she wasn't procuring items necessary for her to survive on Earth, she was hunting for information. She asked strangers if they had heard of any sightings of people with black wings. Most hadn't. But a rare few mentioned a rumor about black-winged angels abducting people of importance worldwide. The humans didn't believe that, but Juno did. And those "angels" were exactly the people she had been searching for.
The Fallen were planning something huge, and they had set that plan into motion when they invaded the palace. But that plan didn't stop at Enochia - the Fallen had something in store for Earth, too. But what? Even if they managed to cripple Earth's governments, the Fallen didn't have the numbers to take over the entire planet...did they? Juno tried to find a pattern to the abductions, to see where they might strike next...but everything was highly classified, and Juno didn't have the skill necessary to break into their networks.
Juno even sought out the portal she knew was in the city, in case all else failed and she decided to try and take back her kingdom alone...even if it was a death sentence. She'd had no luck there, either. The portal was dead, probably shut off from the Watchroom to prevent her people from escaping. She had reached another dead end.
Despair began to crawl through her again. Had the Fallen already won? Impossible. It was unthinkable that the mighty kingdom of Enochia would crumble so easily. Her people were strong. They'd fight back.
She had to keep trying. For them...and the ones she had lost to the Fallen.
Bruce had been standing in front of the club Archangel for at least ten minutes. He tried to move, honest...especially when passersby gave him odd look. But all he could do was stand there, staring up at the club's neon sign. He really didn't want to go in. He hadn't been to a club in years. There were too many people, too much excitement, too many ways for things to go wrong. Was is really a good idea on Fury's part to send him to a place like this?
This is a really bad idea.
That's what he thought. But there was a small part of him that wanted to go in. There was a 50-50 chance that he might find the winged woman, Juno, inside.
I'm only here to find her. Don't pay attention to anything else…
Bruce squared his shoulders.
Alright. I'm going in.
But just as he leaned forward, reaching for the door, it swung open. Bruce felt a sharp pain when it collided with his forehead. He let out a hiss, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead. "I guess this was a bad idea, after all…"
"Oh dear. I'm so sorry. Are you hurt?" A feminine voice came from his assailant. Her question echoed in his mind. Where have I heard that voice before…? He shook his head, waving his hand to let her know that he was fine. "That's good… Sorry, again. I didn't see you. Excuse me…" He opened his eyes just in time to see white hair flow past him. Wait a minute…
Bruce immediately turned to the woman sauntering away from him. Her hair was indeed snow-white, cascading all the way down to her calves. It can't be… Even so, he found himself trailing after her. He had to be sure before he approached her. He had to see her eyes.
The woman walked like she was on a mission. Her stride was long and confident. But her shoulders were thin and frail, ever-so-slightly hunched, like she was trying to mask pain with confidence. She would have fooled him, too, if he hadn't been so accustomed to the look of a person in pain.
And then her stride slowed. Bruce instinctively hid behind a corner when she stopped next to a teenage girl sitting on the sidewalk. The girl was curled up into a ball, her head on her knees. She was in pain, too.
"Excuse me…" The woman called out to her softly. "Why are you crying?" Bruce peeked over the edge of the wall and examined the girl more closely. There were no tears in her eyes.
"What?" The girl sounded surprised. "I'm not crying…" I didn't think so…
"No. You are." The woman knelt next to the girl. He still couldn't see her eyes. "I can see it. You're not shedding any tears, but you're crying. Why?"
The girl looked dumbstruck. She was probably shocked that a stranger would notice such a thing, while everyone else just went on with their lives. "I...I'm not…" She began to protest, but Bruce saw tears well up in her eyes. Then the dam broke, and the girl began to sob.
"Shh…" The woman put an arm around her shoulders and spoke soothingly. Bruce wished she would turn right so he could see her face, but all he saw was her back. "Why are you sad?" There was a pause. "It's alright...you can tell me." Her voice was smooth and reassuring. Bruce felt a haze begin to creep over his mind. Suddenly, he had an urge to spill every painful memory he'd ever experienced to her. Whoa. He shook his head vigorously, and the urge slowly faded. What...was that feeling…? It reminded him of the tune he had stuck in his head, the one he heard before he woke up in the warehouse. He felt hazy then, too…
"It's...it's my parents," the girl sniffled. "They died in a car accident a few days ago, and…" She hiccupped. "Child Services wants to send me and my little brother to live with my uncle. If not, they'll split us up, but...I've never met my uncle. Dad never talked about him. That means he's a bad person, right? I don't want to put Charlie in danger...but I don't want to get separated from him, either...he's all I have left!" She curled up into a tighter ball. "No one knows how I feel...no one cares…" The girl broke down again, and the woman rubbed her back. To anyone else, it may have seemed like a strange scene, a woman comforting a girl she didn't know. But to Bruce, it seemed natural. The woman was like a mother comforting her child, like this kind of thing came naturally to her. That sort of kindness wasn't something Bruce saw every day.
For a few moments, the woman didn't speak. As the seconds passed, Bruce grew increasingly uncomfortable. He felt like a creep, watching them from the shadows.
But then the woman began to sing.
"You feel like you're falling backwards…
Like you're slipping through the cracks.
Like no one would even notice
If you left this town…
And never came back."
Her voice was hypnotizing. Bruce couldn't move, couldn't tear his eyes away as the woman moved to kneel in front of the girl. Her golden eyes were sad but comforting, and he barely noticed them flicker in his direction. Golden eyes…?
"You walk outside, and all you see is rain.
You look inside, and all you feel is pain.
And you can't see it now…"
Bruce's emotions stirred uncontrollably. She wasn't even singing to him, yet...just listening to her put him in some kind of trance. Feelings he thought were long-buried bubbled to the surface. It wasn't a natural thing. She was using her voice to control his mind somehow...it scared him. This...isn't normal…
"But down the road, the sun is shining.
In every cloud, there's a silver lining.
Just keep holding on…"
She put her hand on the girl's head. Bruce saw the same hope in that girl's eyes that was flaring in his chest at the woman's words. What's happening to me?
"And every heartache makes you stronger,
But it won't be much longer…
You'll find love, you'll find peace,
And the you you're meant to be.
I know right now, that's not the way you feel…"
A soft smile formed on her face. I know that smile...those eyes...but where…? Bruce couldn't think clearly. His head hurt when he tried to think of anything other than the hope her words were giving him.
"But one day, you will."
The song ended, and the fog slowly lifted from Bruce's mind. He used the wall for support when his legs suddenly felt weak. His eyes were wide and his breath came in soft gasps. "What the hell was that...?" he whispered to himself.
"Meet with your uncle." The woman told the girl, who gaped up at her. "As long as you are there to protect him, your little brother will be fine. Would you rather him be taken away to who-knows-where, where you can't look after him?" The girl shook her head. "Very good. Go back to Charlie, now. He's probably very worried about you." The girl nodded and got to her feet. "Good girl."
Suddenly, the girl embraced the woman. "Thank you," she mumbled, then took off down the street.
The woman stood in place for a few moments, a shocked look on her face. Then she smiled and rubbed the back of her neck bashfully. "It was my pleasure," she muttered.
Bruce flattened himself against the wall when she walked his way. Please don't see me, please don't see me...
"Who are you, and why have you been following me?"
Shoot. The woman was suddenly in front of him, his shirt collar clenched in her fist. Something cold pressed against Bruce's neck. "Uh...hey, let's not be hasty..."
Then it clicked. Her eyes, her smile, her voice...he remembered. This was the woman he was looking for.
Juno.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Did the Fallen send you to keep an eye on me?" The blade pressed harder against his neck.
Bruce felt his alter ego stir. "Look..." He held up his hands in surrender. "I have no idea who the Fallen are, but there's no need to threaten me. I'm not here to hurt you, really. Now let's just calm down before things get...messy."
Juno silently stared at him. Then, without warning, she pulled him into the sunlight. Her golden eyes widened, sparking with recognition. "I know you..." Her grip on his collar loosened, and the hand holding the knife slowly lowered to her side. "You're Bruce Banner, are you not?"
Bruce sighed with relief. "Yeah..." He blinked. "Wait. You remember me?"
A polite smile graced her features. "Of course. You are very hard to forget." She looked him up and down. "Although...you are more...clothed than you were when we last met." His face heated with embarrassment, and she laughed. "It is good to see you again. Congratulations on saving Earth."
"Uh...thank you." Of course she would know I was involved.
Juno tilted her head. "Why were you following me, Bruce Banner? I'm fairly certain you aren't involved with the Fallen."
"About that..." Bruce began to wring his hands. "Do these 'Fallen' look like people with black wings, by any chance?"
Juno's face lit up. "Yes! Have you seen them?" she asked eagerly.
"Not myself..." Bruce cleared his throat. "But I do know people who have. And they sent me to find you, so that you can help them...find the Fallen."
Juno blinked. "Who are these people that sent you?" she asked. "Who do they work for? What are their intentions? I need to know everything before I agree to help them." She bit the inside of her cheek. "No offense to you, Bruce Banner, but I can't place my trust in someone I know nothing about."
Bruce nodded. "No, I understand completely…" He looked around. "But...we can't talk here. There are too many people around...you know Stark Tower, right? Well...I guess it's called the Avengers Tower now…"
"Yes, I know the place. It's quite hard to miss."
"Let's go there. Then we can talk."
Juno studied him for a moment. He could tell the gears were turning in her head. Should she trust him, or should she walk away? That was the question.
"...I can't pass up this chance," she sighed. "This is the biggest lead I've had on the Fallen for weeks." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Alright, Bruce Banner. I will accompany you to the tower."
Bruce nodded. Juno really was interested in the Fallen...but why? Why did finding them mean so much to her? Could they have had something to do with the state she was in when they first met? He examined her out of the corner of his eye as they walked. She showed no signs of having been injured, but she might just be good at hiding it. Her eyes were trained forward, and her pale hands were clenched with determination.
What happened to her that day? What could have happened to cause the light to go out of those beautiful golden eyes?
Did he want to find out?
A/N: Don't forget to review, okay? Pretty please? I would be thrilled to hear what you guys think of the story so far, and it gives me a lot of motivation to keep writing!
